


Turning Tides

by virgilsparade



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Avatar Merlin, BAMF Merlin (Merlin), Bisexual Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), F/F, F/M, Firebender Arthur, Gay Merlin (Merlin), M/M, Pro-Bending, YOU DONT NEED TO HAVE WATCHED ATLA OR TLOK TO UNDERSTAND, mentions of the gaang - Freeform, merlin is originally an earthbender, pro bender arthur, pro bender gwen, pro bender lance, pro bender merlin, pro bender mithian
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:07:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28385220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/virgilsparade/pseuds/virgilsparade
Summary: Merlin has grown up in the Earth Kingdom all his life; sheltered away from those of big cities and different homes despite being the Avatar. When it's realised he must finally learn Waterbending in order to become a fully functional Avatar, Merlin is sent away to Camelot City where he'll learn to finally Waterbend and perhaps even somehow find himself in the midst of a pro-bending tournament, a pompous prat who's dead set on figuring out why Merlin is so different to others and the impending threat of those who want the Avatar gone.
Relationships: Gwaine/Percival (Merlin), Gwen/Lancelot (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 39





	1. Welcome to Camelot

**Author's Note:**

> oh lord, here we go.  
> this is a completely self indulgent fic just because i rewatched TLOK the other day and was thinking about merlin and korra similarities.  
> if you see anything that needs correcting, please don't hesitate to let me know, i'd love the help as i don't have a beta reader or anything.  
> also, you dont necessarily have to have watched TLOK or even ATLA to understand this fic as in the next chapter i'll be explaining pro-bending etc.  
> happy holidays!

Merlin - despite having been warned multiple times from his mother - did not think that the difference between the Earth Kingdom’s village of Ealdor and Camelot City would be so large to the extent of him feeling out of place but, of course, he was wrong and she had been correct. Poor naive Merlin, as per usual. You couldn’t go two minutes without seeing dandelion petals flying across the skies and emerald green patches of grass in the Earth Kingdom but in Camelot, Merlin found that all he could see were tall buildings, restaurants and some landmarks from a distance. 

  


The trip to Camelot hadn’t taken him too long, only two days. Besides, now that he was in Camelot he didn’t care to think about how his feet ached from the walking and standing as he travelled through seas. It wasn’t all too bad though, considering he had an animal guide to aid him. The animal guide, a dragon the size of a fling bison, had flown off to where he’d be learning some bending. All he could think about was that he was in the city, ready to finally learn proper Waterbending. That’s right. A boy from the Earth Kingdom showing up to learn Waterbending in Camelot City? Not very likely but for the Avatar’s case? Very much so. It just so happens that Merlin’s needs seemingly collided with the Avatar’s. Seeing as he was the Avatar. 

  


“Come and get your paper ‘ere!” he heard, a man’s voice ringing out loudly as he adjusted his clothes, quickly tucking his earth green shirt into his bottoms even more, double checking that the wrap around his lower arms was still tight around him, wearing them to protect him from the damage of bending the elements in such a manner that he did. 

  


Walking over to the man whilst adjusting his wrap, Merlin stared blankly at the guy handing papers out, eyebrows furrowed slightly before taking a paper from him. The headline read about a sport called pro-bending and Merlin’s eyebrows twitched slightly in interest as he began to walk, reading through the article, paying no attention to the world around him, not that he needed to; he wandered with bare feet, sensing the movement around him as he did due to his connection with the Earth. It was a skill he was glad he had picked up from one of the most powerful Earth bending masters back home. 

  


_“_ _The Brazen Beasts advance to the Camelot Pro-Bending tournament. Consisting of Gilli Ringer, Lancelot Du Lac and Uther Pendragon; The President of Camelot City’s son, Arthur Pendragon. Gilli Ringer knocked out almost instantly meant that Water and Firebenders Lancelot and Arthur - fan favourites - had to uphold the fight against the East-Down Dingbats who kept it together during the rounds._

  


_ Somehow miraculously winning their match, with a loss of only one round - the group will advance to the tournament where they’ll face the likes of some of the strongest pro-benders of Camelot City, Whilst fans are sure Du Lac and Pendragon will be able to hold their own, many are doubtful of young Gilli Ringer questioning if he’s truly ready for Pro-Bending championships at such lengths.  _

  


_Tune in tomorrow night for the final match that will decide who gets to the tournament - will it be the newly reformed fire ferrets - consisting of Guinevere Thomas, Mithian Nemeth and Elena Gawant who seem to be slipping on the Earthbending end of things just like our fan favourite Brazen Beasts or will it be the North Riveting Ravens…_ _“_

  


Merlin’s eyes skimmed the next few words before looking at the location stated on the page of the arena where the groups would fight. Deciding that he could probably make a short and quick visit there before he had to meet with his new Waterbending master, Merlin set off in what seemed to be the direction of the area before he found himself standing in front of a large circular building that looked as if it could house thousands of people. Instantly, he knew he was there and quickly looked adjusted the wrap laying flimsily around his ankles so that it’d be covering his feet; he didn’t want to look stupid entering the arena with his feet out; not many people in the city were apparently familiar with seismic sense and he didn’t feel the need to explain it to anyone who may be curious or just looking to stir the pot. 

  


The corridors were cold as he wandered through silently, smiling at people as he walked past them; knowing that if he acted like he belonged there, people would believe he did. He didn’t even have to hide his face considering he hadn’t been outed as the avatar yet - ideally he should’ve came out as the Avatar years ago when he was younger but he simply never did - primarily because his Earthbending master, Airbending master and Firebending master had all been people that his father had known and so he didn’t have to seek help and expose himself during the process. He still wasn’t ready for people to know he was the avatar yet anyway. 

  


He hadn’t even realised that he must’ve wandered into a training room until a voice broke him from his thoughts and he looked up with his eyebrows furrowed, having not heard what they said so he mumbled out a quiet ‘pardon?’ before looking properly at the two girls who were looking at him, one struggling to keep a flame alight in her hands whilst the other looked at him; somewhat concerned. 

  


“Are you in a pro-bending team?” she asked, brushing her clothes down with a smile on her face. Merlin took note of her warm smile and her loosely curled hair the blue clothing she wore and came to the obvious decision that she must be a Waterbender. It was obvious that the other was a slightly struggling Firebender. 

  


Merlin hesitated, thinking quickly. “Um. Yes, sorry. I thought this was our training slot but it… seems like I’ve come at the wrong time. Sorry, I’ll head off now.” he said, quickly turning to leave.

  


“Wait,” the girl spoke, stepping forwards slightly. “I wouldn’t want you to have to leave and then come back, it would be a waste of walking and our team’s Earthbender is late so you could train with us?” she said, eyes widening before she added on. “Not to assume you’re an Earthbender - you’re wearing Earth Kingdom clothing so I assumed - sorry.”

  


“Oh, no, no, I am an Earthbender, don’t worry.”  _ Not a total lie  _ Merlin thought to himself as he turned back towards her and her friend. The sight of her struggling with the flame angered him; not because she was bad but because she was trying to control the fire when fire in its natural element is anything but controlled. “And I guess I could stay until… my team gets here.” 

  


The girl with the flame huffed and let it dissolved in her hands before finally smiling over at Merlin with an extremely straight smile. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Mithian and this is Guinever but she prefers Gwen. Sorry I didn’t engage there, I’m just struggling to contain flames, I don’t know why.”

  


Eyebrows furrowing, Merlin realised that these were the girls he had read about in the paper - the newly reformed Fire Ferrets - and he hesitated, looking between them both before nodding slightly, taking in what Mithian had just said to him.

  


Merlin then dropped his bag to the floor and looked over cautiously, trying to figure out how he could help her without outing himself as the Avatar. “Isn’t firebending about passion? It seems to me like you’re trying to control rather than let loose. I think whilst it’s something you can control, it’s not something you can contain. You should just let loose and feel it.” he advised, tightening the wraps around his arms and then his ankles as he smiles a little awkwardly. 

  


“That…” Mithian trailed off. “Makes so much more sense. I’ve been trying to learn new ways of containing it but I guess it’s more control than containment.”

  


Merlin nodded and Gwen smiled slightly. “So, fancy showing us what you’ve got?” She asked, looking Merlin up and down as he stood there. “The discs are there,” she paused to motion towards the discs on the floor. “You can practice combos against the net over there.” she stopped speaking to point over to the nets. “Elena’s been trying for weeks to get a proper combo going on but she can’t manage it. We feel terrible for her, it only discourages her more and more.”

  


Merlin nodded slightly and kicked his bag off to the side before looking at the discs quietly. He didn’t like how it felt; knowing that Gwen and Mithian’s eyes were burning into his back as soon as he had turned to practice a combo. He hesitated before settling his feet into the ground and slowly bringing his arms up from his chest; a praying mantis like bending form that was extremely unfamiliar and only seen before from someone who was vital years ago - Merlin’s Earthbending master. The discs rose and he pushed his arms out with such an urgency that Mithian and Gwen mustn't have been used to because he could hear them flinch behind him as two discs smashed into the nets at an immeasurable speed. If only he had the wraps off of his feet so he could feel where they were on the ground. 

  


“Oh, wow.” Gwen spoke, absentmindedly. “You’re really fast. I haven’t seen many Earthbenders bend that way; with your ams kind of turned in like that, you know?” 

  


“My Earthbending teacher was unique. Her great-grandmother bent that way when she fought with Avatar Aang.” The words slipped out before Merlin had even realised what he was saying.

  


Gwen and Mithian both squealed. “Toph Beifong? You know someone related to THE Toph Beifong? They taught you? That’s so cool.”

  


Merlin nodded. “Yeah, she’s her great granddaughter. Lived nearby me in the Earth Kingdom when I was young and she taught me. Obviously her great grandmother’s style of bending was passed down the family because she taught me just the way that Toph fought.”

  


They nodded, clearly interested until there was a loud bang down the corridor and Gwen instantly stiffened, Mithian seemingly stepping behind Gwen. Merlin’s head instantly flicked towards the door he had wandered through, realising the girl’s seemed scared as he readied his stance and pulled two discs back up once more, ready to send them flying towards the door to fight off whoever it was that was scaring the girls.

  


“Merlin, it’s okay.” Gwen said, just as two men entered, looking in between Gwen and Mithian and then their eyes settled on Merlin who was standing there, looking ahead blankly. He took note of the tall one first, his slightly long hair pushed back and then the other with slightly longer curly hair tied back into a ponytail. Merlin could feel Gwen relax at the sight of them and the way that Mithian sighed of relief and he dropped the discs, standing properly. 

  


“Alright there, mate?” The curly haired one asked, stepping in as he brushed his clothes down slightly. His friend nudged him in the side as Gwen moved forwards and hugged the friend; a smile on her face. Merlin quickly deduced that they were dating. 

  


Gwen pulled back and motioned to Merlin. “Gwaine, Lance, meet Merlin. He’s meant to be training here later but he got here at the wrong time and, well, Elena hasn’t shown up so we decided he could train a bit with us.”

  


The one who Gwen had hugged - Lance - moved forwards and held his hand out with a smile, looking Merlin up and down as Merlin took his hand and shook it. “You have quick reflexes. Gwaine likes to scare the girls and make a loud bang whenever he visits so sorry about that, hope you didn’t move too fast or anything.”

  


“No, I’m-” 

  


Mithian interrupted him. “He’s okay, he’s a brilliant Earthbender. You know Toph Beifong’s great granddaughter taught him how to Earthbend?”

  


“No way!” The one who was called Gwaine exclaimed before laughing. “Lance, mate, Arthur would love to have him on your team over that Gilli.”   
  


Merlin furrowed his brain for a moment. “Are you… Lancelot? From The Brazen Beasts?” He felt himself tense as he realised he was now between members of two pro-bending teams who were most likely soon going to figure out he wasn’t actually on a team through their shared knowledge. 

  


“Yeah,” Lance said. “Call me Lance though.” he paused to change the topic back to who trained Merlin. “I thought your posture was strange holding the discs, your arms were bent weirdly.”   
  


“Toph Beifong’s bending style.” he said, quickly. “Praying Mantis style of Earthbending, that’s it. Plus, Toph was ages ago anyway.”   
  


They nodded and then Gwaine looked at him. “Show us your moves then. Lancelot might recruit you for The Brazen Beasts; that Gilli isn’t great and I reckon Princess is getting sick of him already.” Lance nudged Gwaine’s side once more once he was done talking, making Gwaine wince uncomfortably. 

  


“Maybe not now. I guess I did move too fast. I think I’ve stretched something, I don’t know. Sorry about that.”  _ And there’s the full lie  _ Merlin thought to himself. 

  


Gwen looked at Merlin for a moment and then smiled. “Here, I’ll heal you. I was taught how to when I was younger.” And, before Merlin could resist, Gwen had grabbed both of his arms and bended some water, hovering it over where he would’ve overstretched. It was obvious she could see no harm, nor feel it, when her eyebrows furrowed and she looked up at Merlin confusingly. Merlin gulped slightly before forcing a smile.

  


“Oh, I must’ve imagined the ache in my arms, it happens sometimes, my mother and uncle call me crazy about it all the time. I guess I could show you the… combo I did just a few minutes ago. Give me a second.” He said, quickly pulling his arms from Gwen and back so that he was looking at the discs. 

  


The fact that he now had four people watching him was what unsettled him the most. He was used to bending with two people watching at most and even then, it was always someone he knew. Whether that be whichever bending master it was, his mother Hunith, his uncle Gaius or his mate Will who was the only person not in his family or closely in touch with the family to know he was the Avatar. The fact unnerved him before he took a deep breath and fixed his stance so that he was kneeling down slightly, slowly bringing his arms up in that same praying mantis style before punching both hands forwards, this time with a loud yell each time. He was so distracted by the uncomfort of more than two people watching as he bent the discs that he didn't even notice the wrap around his feet had rode up to around his ankles as the discs flew through the air. The discs somehow moved faster and stronger than earlier and suddenly there were two disc sized holes in the net and another two disc sized dents in the wall. Merlin turned to the four of them and smiled a bit sheepishly. 

  


Lance looked at him in silence for a moment before pushing his hair back from his face in somewhat of a shock. “That was so fast I don’t even think I registered it. Where’d you learn that combo? There are only, like, two Earthbenders who can get remotely close to that speed and strength in pro-bending. Surely we’d know of you if you can bend like that. It’s amazing. What’s your name again?”

  


Suddenly Merlin felt rushed footsteps heading their way; ones just like he had heard the night he was 13 and his father was killed in an attack and his first instinct was to fight like he had tried so hard to do at that age. Still aware of the fact that he had to keep the group believing he was only an Earthbender, Merlin twisted on his feet effortlessly, and stepped forwards, launching a disc towards the door just as a man entered. Unfortunately, Merlin couldn’t see his face as flames engulfed the disc and sent it flying back at a frenzied speed. He would’ve simply firebended but he knew it wouldn’t be smart as he raised his arms higher as fast as he could and sent the flaming disc upwards, watching as it smashed into the light. He saw Gwen bend water upwards to put the fire out just from the corner of his eye and sighed in relief, turning back to fight once more until he saw that the others were simply just standing there, not afraid of the man who had run in with such violent steps. 

  


Merlin stood, regaining his breath as he breathed deeply, his face slightly pale. “Sorry, thought you were… someone else.”

  


The guy, who Merlin could now see as around the same height as him with toned arms, light skin and ruffled dirty blonde hair stared directly at him, his eyebrow raised. “Who the hell are you?” he asked, his voice rich and smooth. Merlin just stared at him. “Hello?” he added, frustration clouding his features as Merlin tried to regain his calm and remind himself that he wasn’t 13 again, watching helplessly as his father was killed. 

  


Lance looked over at him and frowned a bit, noticing that he was in no state to speak and that he probably shouldn’t in case it pissed Arthur off even more. “His name is Merlin, he’s a pro-bender too. He’s meant to be training just after the girls but he showed up early, started training a bit with them.”

  


Taking a moment longer to collect himself, Merlin took in a deep breath and looked up at the blonde guy once more, realising that it must be the Arthur Pendragon that the paper had been talking about since he seemed to know Lance well enough and looked like the kind of guy who would be a president’s son. “Sorry, don’t know what came over me there. Just felt your footsteps and-” Merlin stopped abruptly and looked down, noticing that his wrap had ridden up and he quickly moved downwards, sliding it over his feet again. “...it’s an immediate response, Sorry.” 

  


Arthur seemed to look him up and down for a moment. “That wasn’t a very Earthbender approach. Don’t you usually wait to see how your opponent behaves first? Neutral jing. You seem to… not do that.”

  


“No, apparently not.” Merlin said, feeling anxious around this Arthur guy, he didn’t want him to pick up on the fact that Merlin had a mixed fighting style of all the elements; besides water of course. He was still yet to learn that. However, this made him come off as rather standoffish and he could hear Gwen’s wince at his tone. He had assumed it was because he’d been rude but he then knew what it was truly for when Arthur opened his mouth once more.

  


“Alright then, Merlin,” he said, emphasizing Merlin’s name as he stepped forwards, looking him up and down once more before he was soon face to face with him. “Pro-bender, you say? What team are you on?” 

  


Merlin stumbled on his words slightly, looking at Arthur before quickly stepping back. “Don’t. Don’t come near me.” he said, knowing that if Arthur were to get in his face and try to fight him, he’d use Firebending of all elements because he was most comfortable with that in close-combat and he didn’t fancy explaining why he could Earthbend and Firebend. 

  


Arthur raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

  


“...I’m not in a team.” Merlin admitted, quickly, knowing that it would save him from what was most likely going to be a fight with the president’s son and he really didn’t want to be kicked out of Camelot after only being there for a few hours. “I’m new here. Like, really new. As in just got here from the Earth Kingdom new. I read about pro-bending in a paper, thought it seemed cool and I wanted to come and see the arena. I wandered in and accidentally walked in here. Then Gwen and Mithian were nice and their Earthbender hasn’t shown so I thought ‘Hey, just stay for a bit, Merlin, Master Freya won’t care that you’re going to be late-” 

  


“Master Freya? As in the Waterbender?” Gwen asked, enthusiastically. “You’re going to be staying with her?” 

  


Merlin hadn’t even realised his little slip up through his ramblings but he was glad that Gwen had focused that slip up on a different part of that topic. “Yeah. Apparently she knows my Earthbending master so she said I could stay with her whilst I stay here in Camelot City.”

  


“And who was your Earthbending master?” Arthur asked, suddenly intrigued. Merlin assumed it must be because Freya has a name for herself in Camelot. 

  


“Ruby Beifong.” Merlin answered, shortly.

  


Arthur’s eyes widened slightly. “Your bending master is a Beifong?” 

  


Merlin nodded. 

  


Arthur shared a glance with Lancelot who’s eyebrows furrowed before quickly shaking his head. Arthur clearly ignored it and turned back to Merlin to speak but he was interrupted by someone leaning into the training room and calling to Gwen and Mithian.

  


“Hey Ladies,” the guy said, looking at a piece of paper. “Your teammate, Elena Gawant has pulled out from the fight tomorrow due to an injury, apparently. She can’t come and tell you because she’s hurt so, yeah.” and with that, the guy stalked off, dropping the piece of paper as he did. 

  


Gwen and Mithian shared a look before their whole postures just deflated.

  


Merlin raised an eyebrow as Arthur didn’t even pay any attention to the girls or the - quite frankly - devastating news they just got which meant they wouldn’t be able to compete for a spot in the tournament. “How would you feel about joining our team? Ringer isn’t any good and you’ve been taught by the best.”

  


“Your friends have just got some bad news and you’re asking me to join your team?” Merlin asked, scoffing slightly before his eyebrows quirked up and a small grin spread on his face. He then turned to look at Gwen and Mithian. “Hey, Elena was your Earthbender, right?” he asked.

  


Gwen and Mithian nodded as Gwaine caught onto what Merlin was going to do and began to laugh quietly, enjoying another nudge in the chest from Lance.

  


“Okay, so. I’ll play with you guys tomorrow night. I’ll play until you can find a replacement even, if that’s what you need.” 

  


He knew he probably shouldn’t be clogging up his schedule but how could he not when Gwen and Mithian had been kind to him and he had the opportunity to anger Arthur who - for reasons unbeknownst to him - he did not like very much. However, he was sure Freya probably wouldn’t mind and even if she did; it was a favour for new friends and how hard could it be anyway. Plus, he would be able to watch waterbenders in action and if that wouldn’t help with his waterbending, he didn’t know what would.

  


“What? You can’t.” Arthur said, somewhat in disbelief.

  


“Sure I can,” Merlin said, smiling overly innocently just to annoy him. “I’m more than happy to fill in. I’m even sure that Freya might like to come down and watch, maybe give you some pointers, Gwen. If you want.”

  


Gwen squealed with excitement and threw herself at Merlin, hugging him tightly. “Oh, Merlin. That would really mean so much to Mith and I.”   
  


“She’s right,” Mithian added. “Thank you so much.”

  


Merlin smiled as Gwen pulled back from the hug and then Gwaine snorted with laughter once more. “Sorry, mate.” he said, looking at Arthur. “Seems like you’re still stuck with poor Ringer. Good luck in the tournament.” He left after that. 

  


“...I like him. He’s got good character.” Merlin spoke, unpromptedly, watching as Gwaine left, able to weakly sense his footsteps through the wrap on his feet. 

  


Arthur scoffed and crossed his arms. “Right then, I hope you three win tomorrow so we can enjoy beating you in the tournament. It’ll be good fun.”   
  


Mithian began to speak but Merlin stepped forwards and looked up at Arthur, seemingly unafraid of him and the power he held in Camelot City. To be honest, it was quite refreshing to Arthur; to have someone treat him as if he were normal and not someone who was to be impressed at all times. “We will win. Why don’t you get a nice seat and watch us. That way you can see exactly how we’ll pummel you in the finals.”   
  


Arthur’s eyebrow quirked and Lance, Gwen and Mithian all stood tensely, waiting for Arthur to get angry or violent but he just chuckled lowly, stepped back and shook his head with a light smile. “There’s something about you, Merlin. I can’t quite put my finger on it.”   
  


Merlin hesitated slightly, unsure if he meant about him being the Avatar or just himself in general so he smiled a tad awkwardly and nodded, mumbling incoherently to try and end the conversation. Arthur clearly understood what he meant because he motioned for Lance to follow him and they both left the training room, Lance waving goodbye to Gwen, leaving Merlin standing in the middle as he rubbed the nape of his neck awkwardly and turned to face Gwen and Mithian with a little smile.

  


“I guess we’ve got work to do, huh?” he asked. 

  


Mithian and Gwen exchanged a look before sighing. “We should probably go talk to Elena, this is probably just a big ruse she’s making up because she’s embarrassed. You’re more than welcome to stay and train though? We have training tomorrow, same time, and then the match.” Gwen said, softly.

  


“We’ll see you there?” Mithin asked, a hopefulness in her eyes that made Merlin’s stomach churn. He knew he couldn’t let them down; especially not after talking smack to Arthur Pendragon’s face about beating his team. 

  


Merlin smiled softly as the girls fetched their bags to leave before nodding. “Yeah, of course. I’ll see you both tomorrow then?” he offered, smiling even more as the girls nodded and he waved them off, watching them leave.

  


Merlin’s eyes surveyed the area surrounding him and tucked his hands into his pockets with a happy smile. He knew it wouldn’t do much good to train - not Earthbending anyway - since all he would be able to do was Earthbend so as to not out himself as the Avatar and he’d been confidently Earthbending for years and years and years. So, deciding he didn’t have any real reason to stay and train, he grabbed his bag that he’d dropped down to the floor and headed out of the training room and then the arena to where he’d been told to go as soon as he arrived at Camelot; Master Freya’s home. 


	2. A New Friend in Camelot City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Merlin runs into a new friend who knows somebody he met earlier and learns that it might just be quite easy making friends he's comfortable with here in Camelot City the day before his nerve-wracking pro-bending match that he somehow found himself wound up in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 2! I hope you enjoy.  
> This chapter briefly speaks about the rules of pro-bending in case you haven't watched TLOK but if you're still confused, I'll link a page or go into more detail next chapter.  
> Enjoy!

Merlin’s breath was slightly shaky as he approached the large building that had a unique likeliness to a castle. His mother had told him that many bending masters lived there to help those with their bending in the city, including his uncle Gaius, also a waterbender. Merlin would’ve much preferred to learn his waterbending from Gaius but, unfortunately, Gaius had felt as if he were much too old to teach the Avatar himself Waterbending that would be fluent and efficient.

“Excuse me,” he said, carefully stopping a man who was wandering across the square of the building, scars littered across his shoulders and what seemed to be a burn mark on his lower face. “Do you know where I can find Freya? I… need to speak to her.”

The guy’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as he looked down at Merlin’s clothing, confused as to why an Earthbender would come to see a master Waterbender but he seemed to drop it as he shrugged. “Second floor is for the Waterbenders. Master Freya is currently in a meeting with Gaius though, I’m pretty sure.”

“Oh, that’s perfect, thanks.” Merlin said, adjusting his bag strap as he walked in quickly, not noticing the way that the man’s gaze followed him until he was out of his viewpoint completely.

The man had escaped his mind by the time that he was on the second floor and could see Gaius hobbling out of a door as a woman who looked as if she were Merlin’s age waved him out. That - he realised - was Freya and sure, he should be excited to meet the person who’s going to teach him how to waterbend but the sight of his uncle makes him smile and he instantly moves forwards to greet him, his gangly legs flying.

“Gaius!” he exclaimed, ignoring the alerted look of Freya to throw his arms around his uncle; sinking into the hug with a wide smile as Gaius embraced him tightly.

“My boy!” Gaius said, patting his back as he hugged him before pulling back and looking him up and down. “Oh, you’ve got taller. I last saw you when you were-”

“It’s okay Gaius,” Freya interjected, her voice sweet and smooth. “The boy doesn’t need to hear this for probably the thousandth time. I’d have lost my mind by now, all old relatives saying they hadn’t seen me in ages. Really, it’s so-”   
  


“And now you’re rambling.” Gaius said, a stupid smile on his face that made Freya roll her eyes playfully and smile. “Anyway, Merlin, this is Freya, your new… You Know Who.”

Merlin laughed and nodded before holding his hand out to shake Freya’s hand hello. She smiled back at him and shook his hand firmly and Merlin instantly knew that he felt comfortable with her; it was something about her aura. He felt as if he was familiar to him and it instantly made a warmth spread in his stomach. He knew he could trust her.

“Oh yeah. I thought I should let you know that I accidentally… kind of joined a pro-bending team. I didn’t mean to but it just… kind of happened.”

Freya smiled delightedly. “Oh that’s brilliant, there are so many more modern forms of Waterbending that you can observe there and learn alongside the ancient side. It’s a wonderful opportunity, Merlin.” she said, seeming to be slightly too calm about the fact he had put himself in a situation that would make him very susceptible to being found out. Luckily for her, Gaius decided to take over.

“You cannot be on a pro-bending team, Merlin. That whole sport is a mockery and you’ll out yourself almost instantly. You cannot do this.”   
  


Merlin looked at him for a moment, face devoid of much emotion until he motioned towards Freya. “She’s my master, Gaius. Not you. If she says it’s a good thing so I’m doing it and I'm helping some new friends out in the process, why wouldn’t I do this? Isn’t it the Avatar’s job to help people?” 

Gaius sighed. “Fine. But do it safely. Now, where’s that dragon of yours?” he asked, crossing his arms slightly, looking at Merlin expectantly.

“He’s just in the outskirts of the city. He can come whenever I call him, it’s okay. He won’t be found anyway.” Merlin assured him. “Now can I get to the room I’m staying in? My feet hurt and I need to rest. Please.” he added, looking at the two of them pleadingly. 

He wasn’t actually as exhausted as he made himself out to be. To be completely honest with himself, Merlin just wanted to wander the streets of Camelot City and become familiar with it all; he was going to be living here for a while now after all anyway. Interrupting him from his thoughts, Gaius and Freya both pointed towards the door at the end of the corridor and he nodded sheepishly before heading over and entering. 

The room was small but nothing he wasn’t really used to. It was only a box room but it had a bed, a door to a bathroom and a wardrobe for his clothes which, to be honest, he was extremely thankful for. Throwing his bag onto the bed, Merlin began to unload its contents, a few differently coloured clothes - to blend in, of course - and new rolls of wrap for his arms and feet. A small whistle in the shape of a dragon fell out; one that could call his animal guide - Kilgharrah - to him if he was in dire need or if he just wanted to see his buddy which, to be honest, was the much more likely reason for him to use the whistle. 

Once he’d put most of it away and had changed into more unrecognisable clothes - ones that wouldn’t be recognised as Earth Kingdom ones - just in case he got into some trouble like he usually does; not that he seeks it. The trouble tends to find him.

His clothes were, to say the least, bland. He had a brown jacket tucked over a red shirt that was tucked into a pair of oversized black pants, soon tucking a dark blue neckerchief styled scarf around his neck. Aware that he looked a bit gangly and stupid, Merlin advanced to the window and slowly opened it so much so that he was able to slip his body through it - thank the Gods that he was small enough to squeeze through a window or else that’d have been a very odd conversation with Gaius and Freya as they’d try to free him from the grips of the window. Once he gripped onto the windowsill, he edged the window shut so that it’d be closed enough for no one to get in but open enough for him to be able to figure out a way in and, with that, he climbed down the side of the building slowly, looking around to make sure no one saw him. 

He couldn’t see anyone despite the feeling of being watched prickling up his back and forcing his hairs to stand. He turned to where he could feel it but just sighed and shook his head, deciding it must’ve been his excitement to see a real proper city on his own terms and not have someone follow him and stop him from having fun for the night, just like he was sure Gaius would insist on doing if he knew Merlin wanted to go out. 

The streets were lit by lamps and the faint light from the sun above him that was beginning to set and so, excited and anxious all at once, Merlin set off towards the bustling part of the city. Thinking to himself, Merlin decided that if he couldn’t handle a walk as night was fast approaching, there’d be no way he could possibly fight in the pro-bending match tomorrow. So, with his pride on his very own line, he took another deep breath and kept walking.

Once he found his way to the main part of Camelot City, right in the middle where there was a large statue of Uther Pendragon, he was completely engulfed by the City’s beauty; even the statue of Uther was interesting to him, despite the fact that he knew his son was a bit of a pompous prick but nobody needed to know that he thought that. Not verbally anyway; it seemed like Gwen, Mithian, Lance and Gwaine all understood he could be a prick earlier when he had threateningly advanced on Merlin, whether he was actually going to try and hurt him or not. Unfortunately, Merlin’s thoughts had somehow stumbled further down the pathway of Uther Pendragon that he didn’t even notice nor sense the person he had just completely smashed into and accidentally sent flying down to the floor with a thud. 

“Oh, God, I’m so sorry,” he offered, kneeling down instantly and holding his hand out to try and help her. “I wasn’t looking where I was going, I was just thinking about-”

He paused abruptly when the woman he had crashed into looked up and took his hand, skin a porcelain pale and a bright red lip on her, long dark curls cascading down her face and down midway to her chest. She pulled herself up with his help and then proceeded to brush her clothing down. Merlin narrowed his eyes at the traditional themes of Firebender clothing meshed with modern themes and looked at her once again, offering a sheepish smile; one that he was sure was going to become his  _ thing  _ if he didn’t learn how to stop being so bloody clumsy.

“It’s okay,” she spoke. “I was rushing anyway. Had to get away from my father, you know?” she added, smiling as if Merlin was supposed to understand what she meant. When all he could offer was a confused eyebrow twitch, the girl laughed melodically, in a way that made Merlin feel all stupidly happy, he had just met someone who he knocked over and didn’t immediately yell at him which was a brilliant thing. “I’m Morgana, you must be new to Camelot. My father,” she paused to point at the statue of President Uther Pendragon, “is that guy.”

“Oh.” Merlin said, tilting his head. Morgana awaited the unneeded excessive apologies for the whole knocking over incident and when it didn’t come, she tilted her head also. “I met your brother earlier. He’s a bit annoying.” he supplied, smiling like an idiot. Morgana thought that she recognised the smile as one of attraction and couldn’t help but hide her smile.

“Yes, he’s awful at times but he helped me tell our father that I’m a lesbian, so…” she said, watching as Merlin took the information in and nodded; leaving her surprised at the fact that he didn’t react in a butthurt and rude way.

“That’s nice,” Merlin replied, fixing his scarf so it was covering his neck properly again. “My friend Will from back home accidentally told my mum I was gay so I guess I have my very own Arthur Pendragon; maybe a just bit more abrupt.”

Merlin could sense Morgana’s surprise and then kindness as she spoke. “Oh no, Arthur is extremely abrupt but he’s a massive ally for some reason, was practically beaming when I told him I thought I liked girls - at first I thought it was in some weird way but apparently not - then he helped Uther to… tolerate that fact.”

“Ah,” Merlin hummed, a bit confused because he had formed an image of Arthur being an annoying and intrusive asshole in his head; even if he had spoken to him in that soft voice that made him feel suspicious and anxious when he had told him there was something about him. “I suppose that’s good. Anyway, I best be going, I want to walk around a bit more before I have to go back to Master Freya and Gaius.”

Morgana visibly perked at the mentions of their names. “You know Freya? The Waterbending Master?” she asked. “And Gaius? They’re both Waterbending legends around here. Are they going to be teaching you?”

Merlin hesitated. “No, I’m an… Earthbender, that’s all. Gaius is my uncle.”

“Oh! Oh my gosh, are you Merlin?” she asked, excitement dancing across her eyes.

Merlin hesitated before nodding, confused about how she knew who he was. “Yeah?”

“Arthur was talking about you earlier, I remember. He said he’d met a powerful Earthbender who joined Guinevere’s team. It’s you, isn’t it?” Merlin nodded in response and smiled shyly, adjusting the wrap around his arms underneath his jacket. “Oh, that’s brilliant. It’s your first fight tomorrow, isn’t it? I’d love to come and watch, I could probably pull Arthur along too, maybe even my father; he seemed to be very interested in this very powerful Earthbender Arthur couldn’t shut up about. Apparently he got a  _ feeling  _ about you.” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

Merlin stifled a laugh but nodded and smiled. “You’re more than welcome to come and watch, I really don’t mind. I might not be the best though, I barely even know the rules; I was going to try and find a book to read all over them tonight… and… I’m sure Arthur was just exaggerating.”

“Mmm..” Morgana thought for a moment. “I know all the rules since I used to play. We could go grab something to eat and I could go through them with you if you’d like?”

“Oh. I don’t have any money.”   
  


Morgana chuckled softly before pulling out a small waller, a platinum looking card peeking out of it. “Benefits of having a father who’s the president; plenty of money. Come on, I’ll pay for you. I don’t mind.”

Eyeing her suspiciously, Merlin was hesitant to accept until she simply assumed he’d agreed, took hold of his arm and began to lead him off into the complete opposite direction that he had come from. He knew that it was most likely a good idea to make friends with people who we wouldn’t be on a team with or even playing against and so he decided to go on with her until they reached a small hut-like building that had a myriad of tasteful smells oozing from it’s very walls; snaking upp Merlin’s nose. 

Morgana walked in without hesitation and with a confidence he could never imagine ever having - despite being the Avatar - and he began to admire her slightly for it. Following her inside, Merlin stayed behind her as she spoke to the people standing by the door before they were both escorted over to a table. Knowing he should be somewhat polite at least, Merlin pulled Morgana’s chair out for her and then sat down opposite her himself, smiling somewhat awkwardly, as per usual. Morgana handed him a menu from the side of the table and began to read hers until she seemed to grow bored of the options. 

“So, fighting tomorrow, huh?” she asked him, placing the menu down. “I bet you’re excited. I know I was for my very first match.”

Merlin nodded as he finished scouring the menu and then put it down just like Morgana had done with hers. “I’m really lucky, honestly. Some random guy was handing out papers and pro-bending was the headline so I went to the arena to look. It’s a massive coincidence that I got into a team so easily.”

“That’s strange… but lucky. Shall we go through the rules?”

Before Merlin was able to reply, a waiter came over and asked if they were ready to order, to which Morgana said yes and asked for a cup of tea and a meat bowl. Merlin still hadn’t decided so he just smiled a tad sheepishly and said he’d have what Morgana was having. Once the waiter had taken their orders, he stalked off and Merlin looked over at her to continue the conversation. “Yeah, I could do with going through the rules.”

Morgana smiled warmly and suddenly her face was much more animated and excited than before; Merlin could tell pro-bending was a topic she enjoyed, even just to talk about it with somebody. “Gaining territory is easy, really. If you slip behind the lines, it’ll buzz and you have to go the section behind and if all of your team gets to one behind, the other is allowed to advance forwards; it’s the same if you manage to knock back their three too. Each match is three rounds of three minutes each. The team that manages to gain the most territory within the three minutes wins the round. So even if two players from one team have been knocked out, that team can still win if the remaining player manages to gain the most territory by the end of the round. If both sides haven’t gained any territory, the team with the most players left wins. Otherwise, the round is a draw and there has to be a tie-breaker.” Merlin nodded, deciding that was completely easy enough to remember. “Since you’re an Earthbender, you really only need to be aware of the rules when it comes to Earthbending. Sure, it might be helpful to know Fire and Waterbending rules but it’s not necessary.”

“Huh, okay.” Merlin said, leaning forwards so he could involve himself even more and hopefully retain the rules better. “What are my rules then?”

Morgana grinned, clearly still excited. “You aren’t allowed any direct strikes at anyone from the other team’s head and even though the ring is made mostly of this canvas-covered metal, no  [ metalbending ](https://avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Metalbending) is allowed but that’s probably irrelevant, you don’t find many good metalbenders in pro-bending anyway. Also you’re only allowed to bend Earth in what we call it’s raw form, not sand or dust or anything.”

Merlin nodded. “Seems easy enough to grasp, I’ll hopefully do fine.” he said, just as their food and tea came and was placed on their table by a waiter. “Plus, I’m sure Gwen and Mithian will carry me a little. I feel a bit bad since we just met today and, well, it’d probably be easier with somebody they know.”

“Hey,” Morgana started, beginning to pick at her food. “We just met, Merlin. Look at us, we’re talking like friends. I’m sure it’ll be fine and they’ll be new, really lovely friends for you to have and hey, who knows, maybe Arthur will stop being annoying and warm up to you.”

He shrugged slightly and then began to eat, coming to a silent agreement with Morgana that they’d eat their food and then they could talk about whatever. 

The food was great but Merlin was worrying slightly over tomorrow, He knew he’d have time to train and sort things out but he didn’t want to be the reason that the girls lost; it would make him feel like a horrible human being and an even worse Avatar. Unfortunately for him, there was no escaping the heavy burden of expectations placed upon him not only from those in the world waiting for their Avatar to finally show their face but the burden of the harsh expectations he placed on himself. If he couldn’t exceed his own expectations, how in the world could he exceed anybody else’s; starting with a pro-bending team of the first people who had actually been kind to him in Camelot City.

His thoughts were gnawing at him and - being the brilliant person she was - Morgana picked up on that fact extremely easy and smiled slightly to herself. “Are you still worried for tomorrow?” she asked, eating whilst talking but making sure to do so politely. Merlin attempted to do the same but he couldn’t; the perks of growing up with a powerful father shining through. 

“Um,” he began, mouth full of food before he quickly swallowed it and wiped his mouth before continuing on. “A little. I just hate… expectations. It’s like a massive heavy weight on my shoulders.”   
  


Morgan looked at him and frowned slightly. “You may have some crazy soul-crushing expectations someplace else but here? You’re just a rookie pro-bender playing his first match and if you don’t advance to the tournament, that’s more than okay. Gwen and Mithian truly wouldn’t mind, they’re sweet girls, Merlin.”

“That’s the thing you,” he said, sighing. “They are really sweet, so much so that I don’t want to mess this up for them.” he paused abruptly, looking as if he’d wanted to say something else so Morgana gave him the all-knowing look and he sighed. “And I really want to get to the tournament too. My whole life I’ve been sheltered off and I’ve come here and I’m suddenly given this brilliant opportunity. I don’t want to let them down.”  _ And I don’t know what I’ll do if I let myself down.  _ He mentally added, going back to eating his food so he wouldn’t have to answer anything else.

Morgana looked at him in silence for a moment before rolling her eyes playfully. “If you get through this one match, you’ll most likely get to play against Arthur’s team and I can let you in on all of their weaknesses, okay? But you have to believe you can do it first.”

Merlin gulped down his food and smiled slightly. “Okay but I’ll be holding you to that.”   
  


“No problem. I can’t wait to see my new friend win tomorrow.”

A soft feeling of comfort danced across his face as a stupid smile spread across his mouth and he settled back into the chair, beginning to drink his tea as he thought to himself  _ This is what it’s like to have a friend who isn’t an annoying dickhead like Will. _

After a while both had finished and Morgana had paid, the two of them leaving the little restaurant as they spoke about pointless things. Merlin only realised that it must’ve been  _ late  _ when Morgana spoke of Uther’s probably worry of her whereabouts and he agreed, saying Gaius and Freya were probably feeling the same if they;d noticed he wasn’t in his room. With that, Morgana pulled a piece of paper out and a pen, writing her home address on it so Merlin and her could catch up whenever and handed it to him with a friendly smile that made Merlin feel all giddy because he was excited to have a friend he could talk to. 

“Do you need me to walk you home to make sure you’re safe?” Merlin asked, when they truly began to part ways to head home. Morgana only shook her head no in response.

“I’ll see you at the match tomorrow, Merlin. Good luck if I don’t see you before it, okay?” she said, beginning to walk off slightly and even wave.

Merlin nodded and began to walk in the direction of the building whilst waving Morgana off. Once she was out of sight, he fist-pumped the air and walked back with a pep in his step; the things making a good friend could do to you. 

Thankfully for him, no one had noticed he was missing as he climbed back through the slightly ajar window and brushed his clothes down. By now, he truly was tired like he had lied about being earlier and flopped back onto his bed with a mixture of a smile and new grimace on his face.

Excited for new friends: Morgana, Gwen, Mithian and even maybe the boys, his smile only grew. Well, maybe not Arthur. He seemed too suspicious of Merlin for them to safely become friends but - all in all - he was excited and happy and if that meant saying goodbye to the grimace that expressed his concerns about losing the match tomorrow and making a fool out of himself and the girls then so be it. He was willing to stress himself out slightly for the sake of the girls and perhaps just wiping the smug look off of that prat Arthur Pendragon's face.

He could be optimistic for one more night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading chapter 2!  
> Please leave comments or kudos or anything as I really enjoy the feedback or just seeing people's thoughts on my writing.  
> Follow me on tumblr @chronic-bisexual to ask questions etc.
> 
> Also here's a link describing pro-bending and it's rules if you'd like to know more or have more context:  
> https://avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Pro-bending


	3. A Literal Run In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin heads out to get tea for his uncle and Waterbending master when he runs into a familiar face that shakes his confidence until he trains for the match and finds it coming back with a rush of adrenaline and a need to win. Too bad he's still a bit distracted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hnn chapter 3 is here!  
> i struggled to write this one, i won't lie but i'm excited for the next chapter because it's gonna be some BAMF gwen, mithian and merlin and i'm so excited to right it.  
> please leave comments and kudos if you enjoy and if you see anything that needs correcting, please tell me!

“Merlin!” a loud voice yelled, waking Merlin as he recognised it to be belonging to Gaius. He groaned softly and sat up from his bed which he had spread over whilst sleeping, his stomach to the mattress and his legs spread, pushing the blanket between them for comfort and warmth. 

He yawned softly. “I’m awake, don’t worry!” he called out, standing to change. His options were either plain clothes or his usual traditional Earth Kingdom clothing and he decided to go with the latter since he was going to be known as an Earthbender now anyway rather than someone who needed to blend in in case he occasionally bended different elements by accident. 

Once he was dressed, Merlin wrapped his arms and feet up once more and then headed out towards the room he knew that Gaius was staying so that he could greet him. When he got there, Gaius was leaning against the wall to support himself and looked up at Merlin - who had quite a few inches on him - and smiled somewhat apologetically in the way that Merlin could tell that Gaius wanted him to do something.

“Would you mind going out and buying some tea, my boy? You can get some snacks as well, I’m too tired to.” he asked, rubbing his eyebrow somewhat frustratingly as if he had been hurt there somehow; Merlin deduced that it was just a headache.

“Yeah,” he said, no hesitation since he wanted to be a helpful housemate. “Sure. Any particular tea?” 

Gaius seemed to pause to think for a moment. “There’s a large hut in the City centre that sells brilliant tea. Red and gold decorations, you’ll know it when you see it, no doubt.”

Merlin nodded and began to leave until Gaius coughed and then he turned and eyes wandered down to the money that Gaius was holding out. He laughed slightly having almost left without any money before sheepishly taking it, nodding and heading off outside of the building as the sunlight brightened. The same man who had told him where Gaius and Freya were was standing in almost the same place as yesterday, eyeing Merlin as he left. Merlin - being the oblivious person he was - smiled friendlily at him and continued on, tucking the money into the wraps around his arms to assure it was safe and fastened so it wouldn’t blow away by accident. 

The streets were already bustling as Merlin navigated his way through them, weaving in and out of people who were rushing down the streets like a leaf in the breeze, his movements fluid and fast which meant he found himself closer to the City center much faster than most people would when there were so many civilians moving their way through the streets.

Once he’d finally approached the City center, his eyes instantly found the tea hut that Gaius must’ve been talking about; it’s decorations sticking out like a sore thumb. Merlin advanced towards the hut and smiled up at it slightly - thinking of how it was alike to an homage to Firebenders that make his stomach feel warm despite the harsh history of Firebenders - and stepped forwards to enter when the door swung open and hit him square in the face at such a speed that he couldn’t even dodge it in a way he would’ve been able to if he had been in a fight or a training session. 

“Oh, shit.” a familiar voice cursed, instantly kneeling down to Merlin who had dropped to the floor as his nose began to bleed. “Are you okay?”   
  


Merlin looked up, the blood now dripping past his lips as he wiped it and accidentally stained his wrap crimson, and met eyes with Arthur Pendragon. It obviously took Arthur a moment to recognise him because his face shifted from concern to anger to a humorous expression within seconds. “Dear God, Merlin. You really ought to not stand in doorways.” he teased, despite holding his hand out to help Merlin up. “You’ve really disturbed my morning routine now.”

Merlin huffed and ashamedly took his hand, pulling himself up with his help and then wiped his nose again, willing it to stop. “Maybe if you looked where you were going.” he halfheartedly snapped back, realising it was most likely his fault since he seemed to have a knack at physically knocking into the Pendragons. He just hoped it wouldn’t be Uther of all people next.

Arthur laughed abrasively, in the way that a true prat would. “Really, Merlin? First my sister and now me? I wouldn’t be surprised if you had a small thing for us. Although, sorry to disappoint. You aren’t Morgana’s type.” he spoke, seemingly proud of himself for making a joke about what he assumed to be Merlin having a crush on Morgana.

“There’s no love lost there, I know she prefers women.” he said, unable to hold back the fact that he actually had the upper hand on Arthur’s teasing. He then paused to eye Arthur suspiciously before adjusting his wrap to try and hide most of the crimson stain that he’d passed onto it. “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you have servants or something to make shopping runs for you?” he teased, a bit of bite in his tone that surprised Arthur into an amused smile. 

“Morgana’s cousin is staying with us starting today and he’s very into people doing everything themselves and hates being parted from Morgana for too long so I was made to come and get this tea. Apparently it’s his favourite. I think it’s awful.”

Merlin hesitated, surprised by the fact that Arthur had actually given enough of a reply to support a conversation rather than say a short sentence and just leave or attempt to figure out why he thought there was something different about Merlin. “Right. Gaius and Freya wanted it so… yeah.” he said, surprised that he was the one who was actually bringing the conversation down to nearly non-existent.

Arthur nodded for a moment. “Right. Well, I’ll see you tonight?”

“You’re coming to watch us?” Merlin asked, fumbling slightly with his wrap because the blood had made it stick and uncomfortable.

“Yeah,” he started. “Lancelot wants to watch Gwen and Morgana wants me to come along. Plus, watching you fail might be fun.”

“Oh, right,” Merlin said - in a light tone - before looking at Arthur properly. “ You’re going to shit yourself at how good we’re going to be, trust me. Then, when we beat you in the finals you’ll shit yourself all over again.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow before yet another amused smile graced his face and he laughed just as abrasively as earlier. “Okay,  _ Merlin _ , I’ll believe it when I see it.” he said, beginning to walk off and leave.

“Oh, you’ll believe it,” he called out, frustration creeping up his neck as Arthur nodded sarcastically and continued walking off. “Just you watch, Pendragon! We’re going to absolutely smash you guys!” he yelled, even louder, until a random bypasser raised their eyebrows at him in a disapproving manner and he realised where he was. With that, he silently flipped Arthur off from his back and huffed, crossing his arms as he walked in and picked out some tea for Gaius and Freya, paying for it with the money that Gaius had given him. He even had some spare change to buy himself some snacks perhaps on the way back or when he’d be training for the match later that night. 

He decided he’d buy the snacks later and maybe get Gwen and Mithian some that they might like and so he headed back, his conversation with Arthur playing through his head on repeat. He found everything about him frustrating and honestly, he really couldn’t stand him but, by going by impressions from the others, he realised he’d have to be friends with him most likely because of Gwen who he was pretty sure had a thing with Lancelot, making her indirect - maybe even direct - friends with Arthur and despite the fact that the thought made his stomach churn; he’d most likely have to attempt to warm up to Arthur whether he wanted to or not, even if it meant getting along with a prat.

That was all he could think of as he wandered back to the building he was staying in and went upstairs to find Gaius and Freya standing, talking in a hushed tone which not only made him feel somewhat suspicious but also a small bit left out.

“What’s up, guys?” Merlin asked, placing the tea he had bought down in front of Gaius and Freya once he’d approached them. They both jumped, clearly surprised, and moved back from each other, trying to look natural but desperately failing. Merlin was the _ king  _ of failing to look natural and he could tell easily when it was happening to someone else.

Freya smiled slightly soft-naturedly, a smile that seemed slightly forced to Merlin. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for your match tonight? Any last minute training?”

Merlin nodded somewhat suspiciously. “Yeah, I’ve got to go meet Gwen and Mithian for training now… I won’t be back until later after the match unless you want to come and watch it?” he offered.

Gaius and Freya exchanged a look before Gaius made a song and dance about clearing his throat. “Sorry, Merlin. Freya and I will be busy preparing for the beginning of your Waterbending training tomorrow so we won’t be able to come. Maybe another time.”

Merlin nodded slightly yet there was a frown forming on his face at the feeling of being completely left out of whatever their thoughts were; thoughts that were most likely to do with Merlin or his training or even his ability to be a good Avatar. The thought of them judging him without him knowing was much too overwhelming and so he just smiled awkwardly, jokingly saluted a goodbye with two fingers before grabbing his Earth Kingdom-styled jacket from the door and leaving without another word, leaving Gaius and Freya to talk about whatever they felt fit without Merlin there to grow increasingly annoyed at them.

Plus, he had better things to focus on: training hard, winning the match, not letting Gwen and Mithian down and not letting  _ himself  _ down. Earthbending was his natural element anyway, he came from Earthbending so he was confident enough in his ability to do that so maybe doing all the things on the list wouldn’t be as difficult as he feared. Those same thoughts racked his mind as he made his way to the arena earlier than he was meant to but he really didn’t fancy staying with Gaius and Freya and he’d probably much prefer to sit outside the arena until it would be time for training.

The air was relatively cold when Merlin finally got there and he decided to go inside because of it, perhaps take a wander around or so. The corridors were the same as they’d been yesterday when he’d shown up and met the others until he found his way to a corridor that had a row number on it and he realised it would take him out to where people would be sat watching them in just a few hours. When he found double doors leading to the seats, he couldn’t help but walk through and feel completely overwhelmed by the sheer massiveness of the arena, his eyes circling to the stage in silence that could probably be very easily mistook for awe.

“Oh.” he hummed to himself and himself only as he wandered through the rows of seats, running his fingertips across each seat as he did so. After a while, he even sat down and looked out at the stage where he’d be fighting with people peering on just like he was. 

He must’ve been there for long because, when what felt like five minutes passed, Gwen and Mithian soon came bursting through the doors, clearly worried that Merlin hadn’t shown and decided to look for him. The sudden movement and noise in the previously silent arena stirred him and he instantly stood, his eyes meeting Gwen and Mithian’s frantic ones, watching as they transformed to those of relief.

Gwen and Mithian both began heading towards them with smiles on their faces, Gwen ahead slightly. “Merlin!” she exclaimed as Merlin began to advance towards them too, a sheepish smile on his own face. “We thought you hadn’t shown, Lancelot told me that Arthur said he ran into you, quite literally, and we assumed he’d scared you off!”

Mithian smiled even more. “I knew you hadn’t, you seem far too kind for that… not that we know you well but still!”

“Well,” Merlin began. “Maybe if we win, we can go get some food after or something, get to know our team better.” he said, smiling. “And trust me, that prat couldn’t stop me from doing anything, especially not this.”

Gwen and Mithian both shared looks of happiness and relief before nodding at Merlin. “Come on then,” Mithian said, motioning for Merlin to move along as she and Gwen both began to head towards the training room. “We have a match to train for.”

\--

They had trained for as long as they could, practicing combos that would work together well and ways to help support each other if anything went wrong. It had done enough to help build up Merlin’s confidence - if even a small bit - and he felt slightly more ready to play. 

As the three all headed towards the room that their armour was for the match, Merlin could hear the crowds filing in, yelling with excitement and support and it only fuelled his adrenaline even more when they entered the room and he could see people from the openness of the platform. He was even more surprised to see Morgana, Arthur and another person there who Merlin assumed to be the cousin that Arthur had been talking about. 

Merlin, deciding to be annoying, smiled widely at Morgana and the cousin, completely ignoring Arthur to which he responded with an obnoxious laugh. “Morgana!” Merlin exclaimed, giving her a hug to welcome her and then turned to the cousin, offering a friendly smile to which he got a blank stare in response; one that made him feel slightly uncomfortable. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Merlin.”

“Mordred.” he responded, his voice full of fascination yet his voice blank.

Gwen stifled laughter and Mithian nudged her side. “Right, well, we’ve got to get ready so give us a minute and we’ll be with you guys properly.”   
  


Merlin nodded and headed to the little cupboards that held their armour. His eyes widened at the sight of grey with grey accents which he assumed were to show that he was the Earthbender of the team. “Holy shit, these are so cool!” he exclaimed, ignoring the feeling of eyes - most likely Arthur’s - burning into his back as he pulled it all out and began to slide it on over his clothes, earning harmless laughs from Gwen and Mithian at how eager he was to be wearing Pro-bending armour. “It’s surprisingly comfy.” he added, moving his arms all around to test how much he could move.

“It has to be. If it’s not comfortable or maneuverable, you can’t play properly.” Arthur said, looking as Merlin turned around and scowled slightly at him. Arthur only laughed obnoxiously and rolled his eyes. “Any Pro-bender, rookie or novice, should know that.”

“I… I knew that.” he said, quickly, earning laughs from all of them except from Mordred who was still looking at Merlin with a blank face of intent. Then, he turned to Morgana, a curious look on his face. “You guys are gonna watch from here?”

Before Morgana could speak, Arthur piped up. “Yes, better view on you and the girls.” to which Gwen and Mithian rolled their eyes and adjusted their gloves they were wearing. “Nice angle to watch from in case you fail.”   
  


“Oh, he’s been practicing all day, Arthur. He’s really brilliant.” Mithian said, quickly.

Morgana decided to pipe in, noticing how Merlin’s expression had faltered, assuming his confidence was as well. “I’m really excited to watch you, Merlin, you’ll do brilliant, much better than the Earthbender of Arthur’s team anyway, don’t you worry at all.”   
  


He couldn’t help but smile at that and watch as Arthur shifted uncomfortably at the mention of someone in his team being worse which clearly meant he must’ve been worried that Merlin really  _ would  _ be good and that meant he had a chance of losing their long run of outstanding wins. That very thought made Merlin’s blood race and a spike of adrenaline hit him as the sounds of people cheering grew even louder.

“It’s time to go.” Gwen said, smiling excitedly as she patted Merlin’s back as an effort to prepare him, not that he needed it anymore, he was feeling the rush already.

“Okay.” he said, walking over to the platform that would take them to the stage part to fight. 

Once he had stepped onto it, Arthur called out. “Wait, you idiot,” he said, grabbing the helmet that Merlin had left to the side as he moved forwards quickly and shoved it onto his head just before the platform began moving down, leaving Merlin to look at him with a quirked eyebrow until he was no longer in his vision. 

The cheers grew even louder and Merlin felt his chest racing as he looked all around, feeling the encouraging arm pats from Gwen and Mithian to know that they were there for him. Once they approached the stage, an announcer welcomed them loudly but Merlin couldn’t hear - not properly anyway - because the cheers and screams were too loud and overwhelming. He took a deep breath and turned, looking up to see Morgana, Mordred and even Arthur leaning over the rails in anticipation, watching and waiting in an excited manner. 

Softly, Gwen whispered. “Wave, Merlin, You have to engage with the crowd first.” and with that, Merlin raised his hand and began to wave as the announcer's voice began to weave through his ears.

“And it seems we have a newcomer to the Fire Ferrets, with a new Earthbender tonight, let’s see if he’s good enough to rumble with…” but the announcer’s voice trailed off from his hearing as he took a deep breath and brought his hand back down to his side, watching as the opposing team descended on their own platform and his eyes settled in on the three of them, all men. 

Their Earthbender was the largest, unfortunately, with what seemed to be a stocky build that seemed like it would be hard for him to knock and their Firebender seemed vicious but he kew Mithian could take him, the same with their Waterbender who looked to be an even match to Gwen.

Merlin wasn’t even aware that the game had started until Gwen yelled his name, alerting him to a disc that, unfortunately, was fast approaching his gut. 

Brilliant. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!   
> the next chapter will most likely be out within the week  
> please feel free to leave kudos and comments and follow me on tumblr @chronic-bisexual for more or to ask questions etc.  
> i hope you enjoyed!


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